Wire-stretcher



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. L. ENYEART.

WIRE STRETGHER.

N0. 398,596. Patented Feb. 26, 1889.

amwmhoz 717111 llfr yearz @3913 771 23 abl oznm o NV PETERS,Phntoulhugraphur. Waahinginn. n. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. L. ENYEART.

WIRE STRETGHER.

Patented Feb. 26', 1889.

Witmaooeo,

gmmmboz N. PEYERS Pmwumo n m, mumm. n a

irnn ra'rns PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LLOYD ICNYEART, OF SHIRLEYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

WiRE-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,596, dated February26, 1889. Application filed September 26, 1888- $erial No. 286,458. N0model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN LLO Y1) ltN YEART,

The clamp ll consists of the pawl or cam H,

1 secured to the end of the chain, the body N,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Shirf leysburg, in thecounty of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in 'Wirestretchers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improvement in wirestrctchers; and it consists incertain novel teaturcs hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, llignre l is a perspective view of myimproved wirestretcher, showing it in position on a fencepost. Fig. 2 isa plan viewot' the stretcherdetached from the post. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection on the line ,r of Fi 2.

Referring to the drawings by leater, A designates an L-shaped casting,having its shorter arm, B, curved slightlyinward and rearward, so as toform the point C at its extremity, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. 0n theupper side of pivoted to the end of the cam, and thekeeperplate 0,pivoted to the opposite side of the cam and adapted to pass beyond theedge of the body N, to prevent the wire from slipping the arm B, I formthe lugs or cars D I), in 1 which the driving-shaft E is journaled. Thedriving-shaft E is provided with a crank-handle, F, at one end, andbetween the lugs D D,

I mount upon the shaft E the sprocket-wheel between said body and thecam. V

A securing-chain, P, is permanently attached to the end of the longerarm of the I casting A,and is adapted to be passedaround the post andengage a hook, Q, on the end of the shorter arm of the casting, therebysecuring the same to the Fence-post, as will be readily understood.

In practice the casting A is secured to the fence-post in the mannerjust described by passing the chain 1 around the fence-post, the clamp Lcaused to engage the end of the wire, and the chain K is passed underthe sprocketwhcel G, after which the drivingshatt is rotated, therebydrawing the clamp L and the wire held thereby toward the post,consequently stretching the wire, as will be readily understood. Afterthe wire has been stretched to the desired degree the pawl J is causedto engage the ratchet-wheel, so as to prevent backward rotation of thedriving shaft and consequent slackening of the wire.

It will be understood that the tension of the venience in manufacture,as will be readily 5 understood. On the under side of the arm 1-3, Isecure an eye, I, in which is hinged apawl, J, as shown. Thispawlconsistsof a wire bail or 100p having its ends secured in the eye,

thence extending forward under the casting,

and then upward past the same, as shown, the upper end of the pawlengaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel. II, to prevent retrograde wireis excited against the end of the pawl through the ratchet-wheel, andthe pawl and wheel thereby caused to bind against each other, so thatthe pawl willbe prevented from falling and the wheel prevented fromrotating. The pawl can be constructed so as to antomatically engage theratchet-wheel at all movement of the driving-shaft. The sprocketwheel isengaged by a sprocket-chain, K, as

' and efficient wire-stretcher, by means of which shown, to the end ofwhich is secured the wire-clamp L. The sprocket-w11eel is of such adiameter that the lowest point of its circumference is very near theupper side of the cast- I provided with the point C, the main portion ofthe chain passes downward between the post and the shorter arm of thecasting, shown in Fig. 1.

times by giving it a spring temper, and the same result will beaccomplished by inverting the device.

It will be seen that I provide a very simple the wire can be quickly andrapidlystretched to the desired degree. By having the shorter arm of thecasting A curved, as shown, and

said arm is held. away from the t'cncepost, so as to allow ample roomfor the rotation of the sprocket and ratchet wheels. The point C also iscaused to embed itself in the side of the post by drawing the securingchain tightly around the post, so that the casting bears against thesideot thepost, and thereby l prevents wabblin of the device, as will bereadily understood. The clamp receives the fence-wi re between the bodyN and the cam M, and when the driving-shaft is rotated thcpull exertedthereby on the chain K draws the cam firmly against the wire, therebyclamping it 1 The against the body, so that it will not slip.keeper-plate is extended past the edge of the body, so as to prevent thewire from slipping laterally therefrom, as will be readily understoodupon reference to the drawings.

The longer arm of the casting is provided with a clamp, R, similarinconstruction to the clamp l), for use in splicing broken wires or 1connecting the ends of sections of the wire.

The manner of using the device in splicing will be readily understoodupon reference to Fig. 2. The end of one section of the wire is securedin the clamp R, and the end of the other section is secured in the clampL. The spur-wheel is then rotated, as will be understood, to draw theends of the two sections of the wire together, and the meeting endstwisted around each other, completing the splice.

Having ti us described my invention, what I claim, and desire to seeu reby Letters Patent, 1S

I 1. The combination of the casting A, the drivin g-sha't't mountedthereon havinga ratchet-wheel, the eye secured to the under side of 1the casting, and a pawl secured in said eye and extending around thecasting and engagl ing the teeth of the ratchctwheel, as set forth.

2. The improved wire-stretcher comprising i the L-shaped casting A,having the lugs D 1) on the upper side of its shorter arm and the hook Qat the end of said arm, the chain permanently attached to the end of thelonger arm of the casting and adapted to engage the end of the hook Q,the driving-shaft journaled in the ends of the lugs D D, the sprocketand ratchet wheels mounted on the said shaft between said lugs, thechain passing beneath and engaging the sprocket-wheel, the clamp at theend of the chain, and the pawl secured to the under side of the castinganden gaging the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in. presence of two witnesses.

JOHN LLOYD ENYEART.

\Vitnesses:

W. T. BELL, J. B. DAVIS.

